Biotechnology

University of Colorado Boulder biologist Leslie Leinwand has been selected as a member of the 2014 class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which honors the leading “thinkers and doers” from each generation, including scientists, scholars, writers and artists.

Leinwand—chief scientific officer for CU-Boulder’s BioFrontiers Institute and a professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology—is an expert in cardiovascular disease.

SuviCa Inc. of Boulder and CU-Boulder completed an exclusive license agreement for a CU drug screening technology to identify novel therapies for cancer.

The patented drug discovery tool, developed by Professor Tin Tin Su of the molecular, cellular, and developmental biology (MCDB) department, uses a genetically modified Drosophila fruit fly model to screen for compounds effective against various types of cancer, either alone or in combination with existing therapies.

Liz Bradley is a great professor because she loved being a student. The computer science professor graduated from MIT with three degrees, a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D., in electrical engineering and computer science. And, while earning these degrees would be more than enough to earn bragging rights, Bradley earned her two graduate degrees while training as an Olympic rower. She took fifth place in the 1988 Olympic Games.

A grant awarded to the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels, or C2B2, will allow students to conduct research related to the conversion of biomass to fuels and chemicals. C2B2 is a joint renewable energy center of CU-Boulder, Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and industry.

An increase in inhibitions could reduce anxiety in individuals suffering from anxiety and, as a result, help improve their decision making. A new CU-Boulder study shed light on the brain mechanisms that allow people to make choices and could be helpful in improving treatments for the millions suffering from the effects of anxiety disorders. In the study, psychology professor Yuko Munakata and her research colleagues found that “neural inhibition,” a process that occurs when one nerve cell suppresses activity in another, is a critical aspect in an individual’s ability to make choices.

Forensic scientists may soon have a valuable new item in their tool kits—a way to identify individuals using unique, telltale types of hand bacteria left behind on objects such as keyboards and computer mice, according to a new CU-Boulder study.

Doctors prescribing snake oil for their patients? The scenario may not be as far-fetched as it sounds.

A University of Colorado Boulder study has shown that huge amounts of fatty acids circulating in the bloodstreams of feeding pythons promote healthy heart growth. The team found the amount of triglycerides -- the main constituent of natural fats and oils -- in the blood of Burmese pythons one day after eating increased by more than fifty-fold, said CU-Boulder Professor Leslie Leinwand, who led the study.